Excitement {Christmas Morning}

We have never spent Christmas morning at home since we are always traveling to see family and try to make it to every family Christmas party we can. It's gets exhausting, and confusing for the kids, and often makes me sad that we don't really get to have family time for just the four of us. But, in the end, everything works out, Santa finds the girls, and we enjoy the time with our family.

This year we spent Christmas Eve morning at Grandma Nancy's house, making cookies for Santa, preparing a tasty lunch, and planning food items for Grandma Holtz's house the next day. Uncle Nick and his famliy has always celebrated the evening with us by going to Mass and then taking turns hosting soup, games, and chit-chat.

But, this year got a little messy since Aunt Aimee was on call and couldn't leave her work area and Uncle Andy and Aunt Katie wouldn't make it to town before Mass started. So, originally Jason, the kids and I were going to attend Mass with Aimee at their parish, Mom and Dad would go with Uncle Nick's family, and Andy and Katie would hit a Mass on their way to Uncle Nick's.

But, things got changed and none of our family went to Christmas Eve Mass, but instead Christmas morning service. Jason, the girls and I still went to Aimee's house so the girls could play with their cousins and we had some yummy soup with them.

Lesley and Lilly had so much fun! Some fun photos in a post to follow. And, so did Leah and Lyssa...it was a low key afternoon and Aimee ended up getting a call shortly after we got there so she had to leave. The kids didn't notice she was gone, they were too busy having fun, but I was a little sad since it was going to be our only chance to see her at Christmas. She still made it home before the soup got could and we hadn't quite eaten all the tasty dips.

We headed back to Grandma Nancy's around 8pm, Leah went straight to bed since she was sound asleep, I woke Lesley up long enough to get the Santa cookies and milk out, and then off to bed she went.  Jason ate the cookies, drank the milk, and we set out their stockings and gifts from Santa.

 

I headed to get in the shower so I wouldn't need one in the morning, and shortly after I got out I heard Jason yell from upstairs, "You need to get up here!"  Ugh....Lesley had thrown up in the bed and it was a MESS.  She was so upset and kept saying, "Santa is not going to come now because I threw up.  Oh no, it's everywhere.  We can't go to sleep now and then he won't come."

 

I got her in the shower and Jason started cleaning the bed, searching for clean sheets and getting a load of laundry started.  He also thought ahead and found 2 identical frosted sugar cookies to replace the ones that had been eaten, filled the cup back up with milk, and removed the gifts.  He had a feeling Lesley would want to check out the table once she was cleaned up.

 

And she did, so it was a good thing we had new cookies and Jason was quick.

 

Thankfully it was an isolated incident, no more throw up and no other individuals affected.  She claims she had eaten too much sugar at Lilly's house, but honestly I don't think she ate many sweets there.  Perhaps it was just the soup that didn't sit well for her.  We are so thankful no one else was affected and she was able to sleep the whole night.

Leah went potty as soon as she woke up and refused to put her jammies back on....so all the photos are in her panties and crazy bed head!

Lesley was concerned why Santa didn't eat the entire cookies.  Thankfully she gave up on that when we reminded her that Santa had LOTS and LOTS of cookies to eat that night and only needed a few bites of ours.  We didn't mention that he had eaten two whole cookies first, then had to replace them after the vomit incident.

They each got snacks and some candy in their stockings along with a few things in their Santa bags.

It was one of those Mommy guilt moments when I saw just how little we had bought for them.  Their Christmas lists were short and we were adamant about not spending much money on them, but then their piles looked tiny and I felt bad.

But, they seemed to LOVE the rain coats and umbrellas.

 

This was really the only thing they kept saying they wanted, along with bath tablets to make their bath water colorful which were also in their Santa bags.

We eventually got ready for church and then had a few minutes to open gifts from Mommy and Daddy, and the ones they picked out for each other.

 

Lesley found a CD that had "The Wheels on the bus" on it.  Leah loves that song but none of our kids CD's had it.  She was pretty excited.

 

Daddy had taken Leah shopping for a gift for Lesley.  He said it was a struggle because the only thing she wanted to get Lesley was a baby doll.  Not surprising...he was able to talk her out of that, but couldn't sway her from the vehicle with legos in it that looked a lot like a bus.  Lesley was not impressed, and I have a feeling it will become a Leah toy.  Lesley still said thanks and gave her sweet hugs, but I'm pretty sure Leah's choice had more to do with what she wanted to play with.  Oh well, she is still learning about the awesomeness of shopping for others.  She also wanted to get Lesley cookies, hence the Chips Ahoy package above.

 

They also both got a puzzle, a couple new hair bows, and a tub of supplies for making crafts and projects.  And, Lesley got a new Minnie Mouse shirt while Leah got a pink dress.  I thought they would be ecstatic about the Belle and Cinderella bows I found, but they didn't seem all that interested.  Hopefully once things settle down after the holidays, they will enjoy wearing them.

 

After church, we took a family photo by the Nativity set.  Lesley has especially loved all things related to the story of Jesus' birth this year so I wanted to be sure and get a snapshot.

 

It was a good Christmas morning and we made it to Grandma Holtz's house just in time to help Grandpa finish peeling the potatoes to cook for lunch.

 

More photos to come!

Jammie Day

The girls had jammie day at school right before the Christmas break.  Lesley was so excited to pick out her jammies and elated when she located her snow jammies from last year.  She got dressed before she even came downstairs which was awesome!

 

 Leah of course wanted to wear hers too, and although I managed to get them on her, they were SNUG.  The size 18-24 month footie jammies were rightfully in the "too small" pile.  She quickly agreed to put different ones on.

I love the family photos with new Christmas jammies, but it's never practical for us to buy new jammies at Christmas since we already have plenty...and Lesley doesn't wear jammies most of the time anyway.  So we've never tried to start that tradition at our house...maybe I should go with new panties or something like that instead.

The girls didn't really have true holiday parties at school, but they did have a very relaxed, fun day full of lots of playing.  One of the teachers said they were going to have special treats in the afternoon and we could bring something if we wanted.  Since I was pretty sure there would be plenty of sugar, I went with bananas.  Two BIG bunches of 'nanas for each classroom and I think it was perfect!  I told Ms. Madison don't worry if they don't eat the bananas, I'd just take them home at the end of the day.  Her response, "Oh, these are perfect.  We'll eat them for sure."  Sweet!

This was a quick picture of our dinner table on jammie night.  And, it's pretty representative of our table most nights except some nights the girls are trying to sit in my lap.  Poor Daddy, he looks so lonely...or maybe I should say lucky daddy, poor mommy.  

At least on this night, they remained in their chairs while we ate.  I do have a rule that you can't sit on mommy's lap until she is done eating.....so I try to eat really slow most nights!  Sometimes the kitchen timer shows up in an effort to get the girls to focus on eating.  Once the timer goes off, the plates are cleared and dinner is over.

Visiting Granny

Trying to get Christmas photos up, not necessarily in any particular order so don't try to piece together our crazy Christmas schedule.

After visiting Daddy's cousins near Neosho, we drove up to KC Saturday night and stayed in a hotel for the night. It was the first time we had both girls sleep in a bed together....and it went well! We finally decided not to travel with the pack 'n play and it was great to have the extra space and one less item to drag into the hotel late at night.

Sunday morning, we headed to the store to get some flowers to take to Granny.  She just got out of the hospital after a bout with pneumonia, so was in the same rehab facility she stayed in back in September.  We were sad she couldn't make it to Uncle Tony's for lunch, but were glad we could rearrange our busy day to make a stop and give her some hugs.

I ended up picking two red roses and a potted daisy plant in a cute candy cane pot (you can't it in the photo since I hadn't yet taken it out of the box).

When we were getting read to leave, Lesley made sure to remind Granny that she needed to water the flowers so they stayed pretty.

The girls also shared some pictures and giggles with Granny.

We even managed to get a decent group shot after we helped Granny get dressed for the day.

Coloring with my girls

I think the big coloring book came from Grandma Nancy last year for Christmas, or maybe for Lesley's birthday.  We pulled it out recently and the girls have been enjoying it.

Leah and I worked on a Sesame Street one since Big Sister wasn't in the sharing mood.

We had fun, even if Elmo turned out purple.  Leah was pretty particular on what colors to use or not use.

Peppermint Milkshakes

We made peppermint milkshakes one night, got in our jammies and went to look at Holiday lights...again!

This has become a new favorite tradition for us!

The girls really liked the milkshakes, though I think Leah would have been happier with only the chocolate chips at the bottom of the cup.

Yes, these are Lesley's jammies.  She doesn't usually wear actual jammies, just comfy clothes.

We are glad that we found "the cool house" that Lesley kept asking to see.  We couldn't figure out what neighborhood the house was in and she kept saying it was in our subdivision.  We knew that wasn't right since there aren't actually many houses with unique lights in our neighborhood.  But, it finally hit me what she meant....it was a house in the neighborhood next to us that backs up to ours.  Score!  We found it and she enjoyed looking at it one more time.

Merry Christmas {Our holiday Letter}

December 2012

Dear Friends and Family,

Our family has had quite a few changes this year!   And, even with the challenges of transition, we’ve received many blessings that far outweigh any one or combination of our hurdles.  This holiday season, I have been striving to be more mindful, staying centered, keeping things simple (notice the lack of special holiday paper), enjoying the peace, love and contentment that is around me, and prioritizing what really matters, because in reality our challenges are miniscule compared to so many others.  No more “should haves” or “could haves”, just prioritizing what matters the most to our family.  There’s just not room (or time!) for perfection, overcommittments, stress, or fear of change.

Back to the changes I mentioned – After deciding it was time to leave Sprint, Jason was blessed with a few job offers late in 2011.  Ultimately, he started a new job with Direct Energy in January.  We sold the house in March after just two days on the market, and moved to Tulsa in May.  The first half of the year came with a lot of stress, living apart while prepping a house to sell and trying to have some order and consistency for the girls.  In the end, we are so thankful to have a quick sale and also find a GREAT house in Tulsa in just one weekend.  The girls and I only needed a temporary living arrangement for a few weeks while the close dates were finalized and the furniture was shipped to Tulsa.

We weren’t sure what the decision to move would mean for my job but ultimately it has worked out for me to keep my job in Kansas and work from a home office – same team, same responsibilities, more flexibility, and more family time!  A better outcome than we dreamed of!  I have zero commute; I can get groceries or exercise over my lunch hour; and a few days travelling to KC each month means a king size hotel bed to myself and fun dinner dates with friends.  I’m not certain this is the perfect long term fit for us, but it has been a blessing to have this set up during our transition.

Going from an in-home daycare to a preschool setting was harder for the girls than we had hoped, but we have now found a fantastic place for them to learn and play and they are thriving!  We are constantly impressed with the things Lesley is learning, and we struggle to keep up with her requests for projects and tasks.  Lesley is also participating in dance and really enjoys going to Miss Patti’s class to practice her tap and ballet.  Lesley loves going to the 3 year old Sunday school class and also being Mommy’s helper when I prepare and plan projects for my 4 year old classroom.

Leah loves everything to do with her dollies and she is really starting to talk.  We hear sentences now, versus the pointing and grunting style of communication she has used for so long.  She’s also potty training and likes to be mommy’s helper by keeping things neat and picked up!  Her teachers love it since she has rubbed off on the other kids in her classroom.   Both girls enjoy our frequent trips to the library and visiting the many parks and Aquarium in Tulsa.

Jason and I joined a dinner group at church and have also met some really great people by participating in some of the children’s activities.  Additionally, I try to go to the monthly “Ladies night” in our subdivision.  It’s handy to be able to walk down the street, join new mommy friends for a good chat, and have a glass or two of wine and tasty food.

While we are still trying to find our “place” in Tulsa, we are adjusting to the slower pace and more of a country living feel.  One day I was complaining to a new friend about how I feel like we stepped back  in time 20 years when we moved here, but her response of “Is that such a terrible thing?” made me consider what life sometimes turns into.  Moving away from KC was difficult (and still makes me sad), but a neighbor in Kansas reminded me via text message shortly after we moved that it doesn’t matter where we are as long as we are together as a family.  I can’t say for sure what she meant, but I’ve realized that being “together” is much more than a physical presence.  We are striving to find more stillness, quiet, and simplistic moments this holiday season.  May you also find peace, love, gratitude, and joy now and in the year to come, and always remember to enjoy the moment you are in.

Love, Abby, Jason, Lesley and Leah

Happy Birthday Jesus {Preparing}

Lesley has been so excited about Christmas and asks me almost every day when Jesus' birthday is.  I love how her focus hasn't been on Santa or getting gifts, but more on Jesus' birth.  She will randomly say things like, "Remember when Jesus' mommy had to go to Bethlehem.  I think Jesus was born in a barn there."

I get excited when she gets excited about Jesus!

You won't be surprised I'm sure, but I picked up a craft which involved putting foam pieces together for to create all the pieces of the Nativity scene.  I actually purchased two thinking my Sunday school class could work on it one day.

Lesley and Daddy worked on it for a LONG time, and even had to split the efforts between a couple different times.

I realized this wasn't really a Sunday school project because it would just take too long and required too much effort, i.e. probably one adult for each four year old, versus one adult and 8 or 9 four year olds.  So, the second box will get stored and saved for next year.

The girls found the perfect place for the finished product.  We moved a few cookbooks and arranged it right next to their table.

Leah sometimes find it difficult to leave the pieces alone.  That's why we now only have two kings instead of three...she dismembered one and tried to eat it.  Gross.  Ended with a trip to time out.

Lesley is very proud of her work! And, I'm proud of it too.

Lesley even wanted to buy a birthday card for Jesus, and she was very insistent on finding one with the manger scene.  We've also talked about making a birthday cake for Jesus.  I hope we can find time to do that during our busy holiday schedule.  It seems like a great tradition to start!

Do not try this at home....

  ...unless you are the Daddy of course.

Trust me the Mommy didn't really agree to this, though I was willing to take a photo.

The double airplane hasn't been repeated since this night and I'm hopeful to keep it that way.

Disclosure:  No children were injured during this stunt, including no heads hitting the fireplace which was Mommy's biggest fear when turning around to see this.  Of course, the camera is never far away so she did have time for a quick pic before scolding Daddy.

Busy, busy, busy

This crafty girl wears me out and I'm just not that creative sometimes.

Which means these handy Target placemats come in handy to keep her busy.

She had a lot of fun coloring them!  That smile makes this mama happy, and appreciative of the Target dollar bin.

What happened to my angel?

I was walking into my office one day, and the angel in the hallway caught my eye.

I quickly determined that a certain 2 year old had been messing with my angel.

I flipped it right side up and gave her some sparkle.

And, that night I had a chat with Miss Leah about NOT touching the angel, and NOT trying to plug things in by herself.

As Lesley would say, "Leah is a sneaky little girl."  True statement.

DIY Wreath

My crafty girl needed a project so I pulled out a $0.97 bag of holiday bows, cut a "donut" out of cardboard box, and put the girls to work making holiday bow wreaths.

This was a great project and I had hopes of hanging their creations on their bedroom doors.

Lesley stayed busy the entire time, pulling all the stickies and carefully placing the bows on the cardboard.

The finished project looked good, but unfortunately the cheap bows don't keep their stickiness and when I tried to hold it up, a lot of them fell off.  I was kind of bummed, and planning to use hot glue to get them to stick later on.  But Lesley never really mentioned the project again and it's been sitting in the office basically uncompleted.  I think it will ultimately end up in the trash.

But even knowing that, I'd still like to conclude that the project was a success.  

$0.97 + 1 hour of busyness = A Mommy Win!

Our holiday decorations

We certainly don't go crazy with decorations, but I am very pleased with how our fireplace turned out.

I turned my "Give Thanks" banner into "Be Merry".  I already have one put together for the new year, and other ideas in the works.  I kind of like this handmade, cheap decoration.

I even put a new nail in the mall above the TV and purchased a new Christmas bouquet to go next to it.

And, a little evergreen for above the stove.  You can see the Nativity set in the window...I have LOVED it there.  Always makes me smile when I'm cooking.

I still have at least one box of unpacked things, AND possibly one missing box.  I found a lid to a holiday bowl, but I can't seem to locate the actual bowl.  I searched the attic with no luck.  Maybe it will appear next year.

Photo Shoot

We tried a little photo shoot in front of the Christmas tree.  The "Santa's Little Helper" shirts were a last minute purchase, and we are trying to get our use out of them along with their holiday bows.  Thankfully the girls really like wearing them.

Lesley was being a good sport for the photos since Leah was being a chair hog.  She claimed that chair and would not give Lesley a turn to sit.  Poor big sister!

We tried all sorts of positions but you'll notice that Leah never moved from the chair.

Oops...Lesley almost had a turn here though Leah was NOT pleased.

Then, we were done....even though Leah was not and still sat in the chair even after we had left the room.

The Christmas Tree

We actually decorated the tree several weeks ago.  Not having any dining room furniture makes for a good space to put up a tree...though I think I've hit my head 18 times on the darn chandelier.  You think I'd figure out how to duck, but for whatever reason I never get that part quite right.

The girls were kind of helpful.  I don't think we had any ornaments broken, though there were a handful that stayed in the tub because we just ran out of steam.

Just like the past few years, Lesley had the honor of putting the star up.  She did a good job this year!

This was a shot before I added ribbon around it.  I think it looks pretty and really like it this year, though I'm still hoping for a new tree next year.  There are several strands of light that don't work but I'd say this clearance tree, purchased before we got married, was worth the money.

About a week after we had it all put together, I realized that we didn't even get candy canes this year.  We never eat them anyway.